Adelaide street circuit set to replace Phillip Island on MotoGP calendar

MotoGP on the streets of Adelaide…

The relationship between Phillip Island Circuit management and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, an arm of the Victorian Government that also puts on the Albert Park Formula One Grand Prix, has been under strain for some time.

Phillip Island Circuit directly promotes and organises Australia’s round of the Superbike World Championship. The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, however, operates under a different model. For MotoGP, the venue is effectively leased to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which assumes responsibility for event promotion and delivery in conjunction with Dorna Sports and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

Image of the 2025 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix

As machinery performance has increased, so too have circuit safety standards. To secure MotoGP’s continuation at Phillip Island through the current contract cycle, which concludes later this year, the FIM and Dorna stipulated a series of infrastructure upgrades.

Over the past three years, those works have been substantial. They included new debris fencing and barrier systems, particularly around Turns 11 and 12, extensions to gravel traps, and additional paved run-off, most notably at Turn 1. These improvements are explained in this interview I conducted in 2023 with Matthew Walton, General Manager of Design and Construction for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.

Diagrams of the changes made to Phillip Island in recent years to satisfy safety requirements

Funding for those upgrades was ultimately underwritten by the Victorian Government following negotiations between the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Phillip Island Circuit management led by Andrew Fox, and circuit owners Linfox Property Group.

Those improvements ensured compliance with the current agreement. However, discussions regarding a further contract extension beyond 2026 appear to have centred on additional capital works, this time focussing on pit lane infrastructure and spectator facilities, areas long identified as needing modernisation.

A 2023 photo from Phillip Island of work shown for the concrete apron extensions on the outside of the entry to turn two, looking back towards turn one

In recent months, public commentary surrounding the event’s future has intensified. From this vantage point, it appears both parties have sought to frame the narrative to strengthen their negotiating positions over who should fund the next phase of redevelopment.

The impasse now seems to have been overtaken by events.

The South Australian Government is understood to be in the final stages of successfully signing off on a bid to host MotoGP on the streets of Adelaide from 2027. If realised, it would represent a significant shift in Australia’s motorcycling landscape and a reversal of sorts, recalling when Melbourne secured the Formula One Grand Prix from Adelaide in the mid-1990s.

The commercial context has also evolved. Liberty Media completed its acquisition of Dorna in July 2025. This week, the organisation was rebranded as MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, reflecting Liberty’s broader positioning of MotoGP as a global entertainment property.

Liberty Media’s portfolio also includes the Formula One World Championship, where street circuits in major metropolitan centres form a key component of the commercial model. The appeal is clear: proximity to CBD hospitality, corporate infrastructure, and premium entertainment assets that align with modern event economics.

The Australian Formula One Grand Prix is held on the streets of Melbourne at Albert Park – Image AGPC

Phillip Island offers world-class racing and natural amphitheatre viewing, but its facilities were conceived in a different era. A city-based event provides a distinct commercial proposition.

The logistical and safety challenges associated with constructing a temporary street circuit capable of hosting MotoGP are substantial. Homologation requirements, surface preparation, barrier systems, medical facilities, and paddock infrastructure must meet the FIM’s highest standards. Delivering that within a 2027 timeframe would require decisive action, and work would need to start very shortly.

Nonetheless, political momentum in South Australia appears significant, and multiple sources indicate a formal announcement could be imminent, as soon as tomorrow. If ratified as expected, it will confirm that the next chapter of MotoGP in Australia will be written on the streets of Adelaide rather than across Phillip Island’s picturesque backdrop. Adelaide hosted Formula One on its streets from 1985 to 1995, before F1 moved to Melbourne, and Adelaide currently hosts V8 Supercars on its street circuit.

There are also indications this may not be the only shift in Australia’s international motorcycle racing landscape. Sources suggest that the Superbike World Championship could relocate to The Bend Motorsport Park from 2028. If the MotoGP move is officially announced tomorrow, expect Phillip Island to pull out all the stops to try and ensure WorldSBK does not follow.

While The Bend is a comparatively modern facility, hosting WorldSBK would likely require additional targeted investment to meet the championship’s full operational and hospitality requirements. That investment case could be strengthened by strategic flexibility, including the option to stage an interim MotoGP round at The Bend if the Adelaide street circuit cannot be completed in time.

Jack Miller has raced a Superbike at The Bend – Image RbMotoLens

The Bend is privately owned and features a 4.95-kilometre layout used for ASBK and most other events, as well as a 7.7-kilometre ‘GT’ layout.

The 4.95-kilometre ‘International Circuit’ layout is the one used for ASBK at The Bend Motorsport Park. Corner speeds are a rough indication for Superbikes when they first went to the circuit in 2018

Senior management from Dorna Sports met with Sam Shahin at The Bend Motorsport Park last year, and it is understood the South Australian businessman has played a significant role in discussions between the South Australian Government and MotoGP’s commercial rights holders.

Below is a lap of the 4.95-kilometre layout I recorded with Troy Herfoss on an Australian Superbike just after the circuit first opened in 2018.